Culture

3 minute lesson

Our Plastic Waste Problem: It’s Not About Perfection

Okay, you’ve already heard this before: plastics are a HUGE problem. So what? What can you do about it?

We can start with straws, but they are a tiny fraction of the single-use plastics we consume. Plastic bags, plastic packaging, plastic water bottles, all these plastics that wrap and carry other objects have an enormous impact on the environment!

Beyond recycling, reducing or refusing to use single-use plastics is an easy switch we can make! Activist, and “dude making a difference” Rob Greenfield, has a few easy steps we can all take to really start reducing our single-use plastics.

5 Tips to Go Near Zero Waste

  1. Use a reusable bag instead of paper or plastic.
  2. Bring along a reusable cloth instead of paper towels or napkins.
  3. Carry along your own travel cup or mug instead of using cups.
  4. Grab some reusable utensils and containers to eat on the go.
  5. Ditch plastic water bottles for a reusable bottle.
  6. Eliminate plastic straws by using reusable glass or metal ones.

All you have to do is just START WITH JUST ONE. You don’t have to take on every single thing on this list. Find the easiest one, start doing it, and then once it becomes a habit, add the next! Everything you do has a positive impact.

Let's Talk About It

  1. Which idea would be easiest for you to start with?
  2. What are some ways your school or community could work to reduce its single-use plastics?
  3. How could you start a campaign to educate people about single-use plastics?

Rob Greenfield

Rob Greenfield is an adventurer, activist, humanitarian and dude making a difference. He embarks on extreme adventures and activism campaigns to bring attention to important global issues and inspire change.

Citations

“5 Tips to Go Near Zero Waste.” YouTube, Rob Greenfield, 14 Oct. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkETEa7ze2M. Accessed 19 Sept. 2018.